Athletes competing at the Paris Olympics 2024 have honored their favorite One Piece and Dragon Ball characters by striking familiar poses.

As the globe's greatest athletes continue to compete against one another, anime fans watching from the sides have increasingly found themselves reenacting the Leonardo DiCaprio point meme in real life after recognizing references to popular series like One Piece and Dragon Ball during the summer edition of the Olympic Games.

The USA's Noah Lyles, a known Yu-Gi-Oh card aficionado, immediately broke into Goku's trademark Dragon Ball Kamehameha pose upon winning Olympics gold in the men's 100M sprint. And he wasn't the only one, as the French fencing team also performed a group Kamehameha in celebration of their bronze medal triumph.

Noah Lyles ONCE AGAIN celebrating an Olympic Medal with Goku's Kamehameha pic.twitter.com/gcUf8wuNem

— Anime Craze (@crazedanime_) August 4, 2024

At the Paris Olympics, the American athlete Payton Otterdahl does Gear 4 pose !

One piece influence is CRAZY pic.twitter.com/BtgGRyXzOd

— Sam (@yonkoluffyszn) August 3, 2024

The French Fencing Team after winning the Bronze did a group Kamehameha.#DragonBall pic.twitter.com/KL38KtpjBb

— SUPER クロニクルス (@SupaChronicles) August 1, 2024

'Dragon Ball' ULTRA INSTINCT AT THE OLYMPICS pic.twitter.com/2uB16KeZVA

— Anime Craze (@crazedanime_) August 4, 2024

Meanwhile, Team USA shot putter Payton Otterdahl paid tribute to One Piece with a memorable entrance at the sporting event that saw him throw out the iconic Gear 4 Luffy pose. One person on X/Twitter noted that the "influence is CRAZY," while another shared the video and remarked: "One Piece is dominating!"

These shoutouts come after the Olympics' competitive shooters won over pop-culture fans, with their effortless style and impressive skills prompting some talented artists to immortalize them as animated action characters. Others used these illustrations to create posters for a mock anime — one aptly titled "Lock On."

I'D HELLA WATCH A ANIME ABOUT THE OLYMPICS CALLED LOCK ON. pic.twitter.com/7CvMWFfRmm

— TPC | KiS (@KeepsitSimple89) August 3, 2024

The Paris Olympics will end on August 11. That means there is just one week left for the world to compete and, inevitably, deliver more viral moments.

Cover image credit: Getty.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.

Marvel alum Scarlett Johansson has confirmed she is starring in the next Jurassic World movie, which she says has an "incredible" script.

Reports surfaced in March that Johansson was in talks to join the new Jurassic World movie, which will be the seventh film in the franchise, and now the actress has opened up about her role. Johansson told ComicBook.com she is "excited" about the feature and its story by David Koepp, writer of the original Jurassic Park.

Inside Out 2 has surpassed Dune: Part 2 to become the highest-grossing movie of 2024, and it only took eight days to secure that title at the U.S. box office.

As reported by Variety, the animated tentpole from Disney and Pixar has so far earned $724 million at the worldwide box office, including $355 million in the U.S. and Canada, overtaking Dune: Part 2's $711 million global haul (with $282 million from the U.S. and Canada) to become the most successful movie of the year.

Inside Out 2 followed its massive opening weekend with more staggering ticket sales in its sophomore outing, raking in $100 million in the U.S. and Canada and $164 million from other territories in its second weekend at theaters. These takings put it on track to become the first movie of 2024 to join the $1 billion box office club.

Last weekend, Inside Out 2 scored the second-biggest opening of all time for an animated film behind the $182 million Incredibles 2 brought in back in 2018. Pixar's latest also secured the biggest U.S. opening of 2024 and became the first film to cross $100 million in its first few days (since Barbie's achievement last summer).

Inside Out 2 takes audiences further inside the mind of Riley, now a teenager conjuring an entirely new range of emotions. IGN recently toured the Pixar Animation Studios campus in California and caught up with director Kelsey Mann to take a closer look at the new characters, plus the designs that didn't make the final cut.

Audiences have hardly been able to contain their emotions over Inside Out 2. The movie is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its visuals, cast, and clever storytelling. IGN's review of Inside Out 2 called it "a smart but emotionally stunted sequel" with "a few inventive ideas that make for hearty amusement."

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.

Horror maestro Mike Flanagan is reportedly in talks to direct the next Exorcist movie for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures.

According to Deadline, Flanagan's head could spin towards The Exorcist franchise after being tapped to take on the next installment. If he accepts, Flanagan will pick up the reins from David Gordon Green, who directed The Exorcist: Believer, the first in a planned trilogy of movies based on William Friedkin's 1973 horror classic.

Green stepped away from helming the sequel in January, at which point the movie also lost its April 2025 release date. Reports indicated that Green wanted to prioritize other projects after working on Believer, which underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.

The latest trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine is here, and fans are already dissecting it frame by frame to plot out the key moments and search for any clues as to what the movie has in store.

Shortly after the trailer was released online, people started sticking their claws into the footage to pick out the small details that some might have missed on the first watch. Hot topics of conversation included the Ant-Man corpse cave, X-Men character sightings, and some Strange sorcery, prompting speculation among fans.

Ant-Man Corpse Cave

At around 1:51, Ant-Man makes a surprise cameo, but not how you would typically expect to see the Avenger. It looks like Cassandra Nova, the evil twin sister of X-Men leader Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, has opted to set up her headquarters inside an Ant-Man corpse, with the superhero's helmet lifting up to reveal a skull entrance.

Some people online expressed concern about the character's condition, while others saw the funny side and poked fun at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

"Ant-Man's helmet as Cassandra Nova's base. How'd that happen?" one person quizzed on Reddit, to which someone replied: "Looks like more than just a helmet looks to be a giant Ant-Man skeleton," before another Redditor threw out a suggestion: "Could be one of those infinite Ant-Men from the probability storm?"

Well this shot is very likely to turn a lot of heads. Ant-Man dead in giant-form (with his skull intact) in this universe! #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/6O7wbVIAKh

— TrailerTrack (@trailertrack) April 22, 2024

So is no one going to talk about Scott’s giant skull still being in the Ant-Man helmet??? #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/3WJxoq38Pl

— KC Parnell (@Parns_And_Noble) April 22, 2024

That skull reminded me of that Quantumania scene when Scott ripped apart in the probability storm. #DeadpoolAndWolverine https://t.co/TCmzUVsKxp pic.twitter.com/TYpU5EzOnv

— AVON (@MagicHandz) April 22, 2024

I peeped this and thought ha this has to be a lowkey shot at Quantumania 😂

— d u h r i u s . (@andrewmillyy__) April 22, 2024

The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was so bad they killed Ant Man https://t.co/yqxT56oRkM

— Squid (@sikane02) April 22, 2024

X-Men Character Sightings

Some people were more intrigued by the individuals surrounding the villainous base, many of whom were identified as X-Men characters. Among the most popular shoutouts were Azazel from X-Men: First Class, Lady Deathstrike from X2, Pyro from X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, and Toad from X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Spoiler about another major return below.

Are we ignoring Azazel from First Class and Lady Deathstrike from X2 down there in the front?

— Jake | #FrogManSweep (@ItKirishima) April 22, 2024

Bottom left pic.twitter.com/27uIy4gtut

— Jake | #FrogManSweep (@ItKirishima) April 22, 2024

Wow!! pic.twitter.com/XyhxL43F6H

— André_0_Alfa (@Andr918212201) April 22, 2024

This has to be Russell right? pic.twitter.com/BAt2yTHXYj

— IGSY👽 (@itzmeigsy) April 22, 2024

X-Men First Class's Azazel and X2 United's Lady Striker are back. #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/ckegOrDLaF

— Alexandre Matias (@matiasalexandre) April 22, 2024

azazel, lady deathstrike, toad, pyro, and more😁

— Annie’s Boobs (@cacti_dom16) April 22, 2024

The X-Men reunion looks to be bigger than first thought, but the party doesn't stop here as a previous photo leaked from the set of Deadpool & Wolverine showed Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in a snowy forest engaged in a fight with what very much looked to be the villain Sabretooth (though his time in the MCU might be short-lived).

One shot from the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer shows what people believe to be X-Men graves. "Guessing this is the Logan timeline, need a flashback of how everybody died," someone wrote on X/Twitter. "My immediate guess is that this is a variant of Wolverine where the events of Days Of Future Past went wrong," another added.

RIP to the X-Men in 'DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE'. pic.twitter.com/qPQtH2MQVj

— X-Men Updates (@XMenUpdate) April 22, 2024

Sorcerer Portal Speculation

An exciting moment towards the end of the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer sees Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Jackman's Wolverine leap through an inter-dimensional portal together, prompting speculation about which character opened the gateway for them and where it might transport them, since it cuts before we find out.

"Final battle of Endgame," someone suggested on Reddit, to which another said: "That would be great! Deadpool and Wolverine being in the battle during that whole time." Another recurring suggestion is that the sorcerers' circle links to the MCU, though not everyone is convinced: "I was thinking the MCU, but Wolverine is also jumping through and I doubt Jackman is gonna be signing on for more Marvel films."

Whose portal is this? #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/2g4KRaR4dU

— Zero (@zerowontmiss) April 22, 2024

Imagine this was them jumping into the MCU 🤞🏼🤞🏼

— Jrdn (@JGreen_2345) April 22, 2024

pic.twitter.com/UL5zEXU1HL

— Lostman (@Lostman257) April 22, 2024

Since Strange is most likely still off world, this could be Wong. pic.twitter.com/reGJ1xMJrK

— Alan (@Al__Speaks) April 22, 2024

Ok hear me out, he's done this before😂 pic.twitter.com/NlYMAuoEg4

— Dhruvil Padhiyar (@DhruWillChill) April 22, 2024

IS THIS DR.STRANGE'S PORTAL???? WTF IS GOING ON pic.twitter.com/PvE5KOHARK

— thea (@btwinchester) April 22, 2024

- This magic portal is very interesting. Strange or Wong involvement? Maybe Mordo? Or even America (since she’s training to be a sorcerer)? I figured they’d be hopping using TVA tech the whole time. But it’s classic Wade bullshit to go off script. (3/3) #DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/BZjk4xhnd0

— Alden Diaz 🎙️ (@ThatAldenDiaz) April 22, 2024

This new trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, due out July 26, 2024, follows the first preview we got during this year's Super Bowl. That trailer was so big it became the most-viewed trailer of all time within 24 hours and with so much to unpack and discuss this time around, there will no doubt be plenty of eyes on this one as well.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.

Oppenheimer actor David Krumholtz has revealed he met with The Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman about playing The Thing in the upcoming superhero movie but is now aiming for another Marvel role.

Marvel Studios announced the cast of The Fantastic Four on February 14, with Ebon Moss-Bachrach unveiled as the MCU's Ben Grimm/The Thing. It was a role that Krumholtz says he "begged" for after catching the attention of Shakman with an online campaign that he started, positioning himself as the rock-solid superhero.

"It's been a big, sort of unabashedly craven goal of mine to be part of the MCU in some way. I met [director] Matt Shakman for Ben Grimm," Krumholtz told Entertainment Weekly. "I only met him on the strength of a Twitter post or an Instagram post that I then took down two hours after I posted it. I was embarrassed. My post said, 'I just want to be in the conversation.' And it was a picture of The Thing, and Matt saw it somehow. And I had a meeting with him, and we discussed it.

"I've never been so bold in a meeting before," he admitted. "Just begging for the role, just straight up selling the s**t out of it, the idea of how committed and passionate I was for it. But obviously, that didn't happen."

Krumholtz has no hard feelings about losing out on the role to Moss-Bachrach because, as a self-confessed Marvel comics fan, he can see it is a "really great" casting choice and "makes way more sense." However, he has now set his sights on a different character and is campaigning to play Fantastic Four villain Mole Man.

Welp. There’s always this guy… @MarvelStudios @Marvel #IYKYK pic.twitter.com/mgIiH0LrRs

— David Krumholtz (@Davidkrumholtzy) February 14, 2024

"It's not a joke at all," Krumholtz says of his recent social media post. "I mean, it's a shoe-in for Mole Man, isn't it? But I don't know. I'll do anything Marvel tells me to. I'll probably end up playing like a superhero's therapist. Let's face it. There's slim pickings for guys like me in that world, unfortunately. I'm old, and I'm not in any kind of acceptable shape. So we'll see how that works out, if it works out at all."

Harvey Elder, aka the Mole Man, isn't just one of the Fantastic Four's most recurring villains; he is also their first, making his debut in the landmark Fantastic Four #1 comic issue by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is just one of many colorful rogues that could show up to confront Marvel's First Family in Shakman's upcoming film.

Doctor Doom is also a top contender, as the sovereign monarch of Latveria has been one of the Marvel Universe's most dangerous and prolific villains since his debut in 1962. Ben Mendelsohn said he would "give his eyes and teeth" to play the part, but there could also be an argument for a voice actor to take on the role.

Only time will tell, and there is plenty of time ahead for MCU fans as The Fantastic Four is not due in theaters until July 25, 2025. That means we have three MCU movies — Deadpool and Wolverine, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts — to watch before that date arrives, along with a few Disney+ shows.

Image credit: Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.